Automatic ink-weighing machine

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for automatically filling containers with viscous materials which employs a piston-pressure system and guillotinetype valve means to feed such material to open-ended containers with negligible spillage and is operated by control means providing automatic delivery of such containers for filling, the cycling of which is designed to maximize the avoidance of spillage.

United States Patent [72] inventor Leslie F. Stone Westchester, Ill. [2]] Appl. No. 875,021 [22] Filed Nov. 10, 1969 [45] Patented Nov. 30, 1971' [73] Assignee The Richardson Company Melrose Park, Ill.

[54] AUTOMATIC INK-WEIGHING MACHINE 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 177/52, 177/109, 222/55 [5 11 Int. Cl 601g 13/00 [50] Field otSeai-ch 177/52-55, 105, 108, 109, DIG. 6; 222/55 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,925,983 2/1960 Kennaway et al 177/DlG. 6

3,053,332 9/1962 Buchtenkirch et al l77/52 X 3,095,055 6/l963 McLauchlan 177/53 3,133,607 5/1964 Gardner et al. 177/108 3,152,655 10/1964 Allen ct al. 177/52 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-George H. Miller, Jr,

Attorneys-John L. Hutchinson, William Lohif and Alan M.

Abrams ABSTRACT: An apparatus for automatically filling containers with viscous materials which employs a piston-pressure system and guillotine-type valve means to feed such material to openended containers with negligible spillage and is operated by control means providing automatic delivery of such containers for filling, the cycling of which is designed to maximize the avoidance of spillage.

PATENTEmuv 30 um SHEET 1 BF a AUTOMATIC IN K-WEIGIIING MACHINE This invention relates to filling containers with viscous materials and more particularly to an apparatus for automatically filling containers with viscous materials such as printing inks.

In the printing industry, most printing inks due to their particular method of application in printing presses are conventionally packaged and handled in relatively small containers or canisters having standardized content weights. The automatic weigh-filling of these containers would, of course, be economically desirable and consistent with modern industrial practices. Automatic operations for the filling of these containers with printing ink have not been widely adopted, however. Foremost of the reasons for this is that printing inks are highly viscous, often thixotropic, and consequently do not lend themselves to any pumping operation which is usually associated with most conventional equipment for the automatic filling of containers with liquids. Moreover, the highly colored nature of printing inks and the serious consequences resulting from any color contamination of different colored ink batches requires the most extensive and tedious cleaning of the complex filling equipment usually employed for automatically filling containers with liquids. Accordingly, most if not all of the filling and associated weighing of the relatively small ink containers, is still done in anantiquated hand operation which severely affects the economics of such filling operation.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for automatically filling containers with a viscous material such as printing ink. Another object is to provide such an apparatus which does not require pumping of the viscous material; is capable of filling the containers with exact weight amounts and additionally achieves such filling with negligible loss or spillage of the viscous material. A further object is to provide such an apparatus which is simple in operation and requires negligible cleaning between different batches of viscous material. These and other objects of this invention will be apparent from the following further detailed description thereof as well asfrom the attached drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of this invention with certain portions being broken away.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of certain components of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating operation of certain components of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic layout of a controls circuit.

The apparatus of this invention is a simple embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises in combination a vessel having a discharge port 11, valve means 12 for opening and closing the discharge port 11, container supply means 13 for storing open-end containers l6, weighing means 14 for weighing a container located beneath the discharge port 11, moving means 15 for delivering a container 16 from the containersupply means 13 to the weighing means 14, sensing means 17 actuated by the weighing means 14 and control means 18 responding to the sensing means 17 for controlling the valve means 12 and for operating the moving means 15.

In automatic operation of the apparatus of this invention, containers such as open-ended cylindrical containers 16 are placed into the container-supply means 13 and one of such containers 16a is initially placed on weighing means 14 located beneath the discharge port 11 of the vessel 10. A viscous material such as a printing ink 18a is maintained in the vessel 10 under a unifonn and constant pressure preferably by an associated downward-moving piston 19. At the start of the automatic filling cycle, the valve means 12 are actuated to open the discharge port 11 whereupon the pressurized printing ink 18a begins to flow through the discharge port I l falling into the container 16a. As the ink 18a is fed by falling action, the container 16a is automatically weighed by the weighing means 14 which upon delivery of the designated amount of ink, actuates the sensing means 17. In response to the sensing means 17, the control means 18 actuate the valve means 12 to close the discharge port 11, thus stopping the flow of ink 18!, and then actuate the moving means 15 to deliver an unfilled container 16b to the weighing means 14 and simultaneously remove the filled container 16a which can then be appropriately capped and placed in storage. The moving means 15, upon delivery of the container 16b, simultaneously actuates the control means 18 to repeat the cycle by actuating the valve means 12 to reopen the closed port 11 and commence the flowing of ink into the container 16b. After the container 16b has been filled with the desired amount of ink, the valve means 12 again close the discharge port 11 and another container 160 is then delivered for filling. This procedure repeats until either the supply of ink 18a in the vessel 10 or the supply of container 16 is exhausted.

The vessel 10 as shown embodied in FIGS. 1 to 3 is preferably cylindrical and has an open end above the discharge port 11 through which a downward-acting piston 19 can pass and pressure-contact the ink contained within such cylindrical vessel. Utilization of this cylinder-piston arrangement achieves a particularly advantageous method for pressurizing the ink within the cylindrical vessel 10 so that it can flow through the discharge port 11 without the necessity for any undesirable pressure-pumping. In addition to providing the necessary pressure to force deliver the viscous ink 18 a through the port 1 I, this arrangement also applies the pressure uniformly across the surface of the ink 18a within the vessel 10 and consequently substantially all of the ink 18a is ultimately delivered through the port 11 by the downward movement of piston 19. Moreover, the downward and scraping movement of the piston 19 minimizes any substantial waste of the valuable ink which normally would result from adherence of the ink to the interior vertical wall 20 of the vessel 10 should the necessary delivery pressure be applied, for example, by simply air-pressurizing the vessel 10.

The piston 19 associated with the vessel 10 is downward driven by rod 21 which in turn is interconnected to a piston (not shown) internal to pneumatic cylinder 22 of conventional,

design. Pneumatic cylinder 22 is suitably operated by compressed air to maintain a uniform downward pressure on the ink 18a and to move the piston 19 either up or down and can b e either double-acting or single-acting with spring return. Compressed air is supplied by a conduit 23 from air pressure supply conduit 24 through regulatory valve 25 which can be manually operated. The cylinder 22 is supported in a fixedspaced relationship to the vessel 10 by overhead suspended frame 26 which together with the rod 2] are so designed that the piston 19 can be retracted upward by suitable operation of regulatory valve 25 to disengage from the vessel 10. This allows the vessel position in relation to weighing means 14 via transport means 27 which, as illustrated in FIG. 1, suitably comprises a roller conveyor of conventional design consisting essentially of rollers 28 mounted on a frame 29 supported by legs 30.

With this ready mobility for the vessel 10, a second vessel (not shown) of identical design containing a new supply of ink of the same or different color, can be quickly and simply exchanged for the vessel 10 upon depletion of its ink supply. Not only does this allow for a quick supply of additional ink, but it achieves an instantaneous interchangeability of inks of different color without the need for any equipment shutdown to extensively clean the ink-feeding equipment. In the installation of the second vessel (not shown) because the piston 19 remains in a fixed position, the second ink-containing vessel can simply be moved via transport means 27 into piston-engaging position below the raised piston 19 and then the piston 19 can be lowered by suitable operation of the regulatory valve 25 controlling cylinder 22 to bring the piston 19 downward into uniform pressure-contact with the ink in such second vessel. So as to minimize the possibility of any color contamination of the ink in the second vessel by intermixing with any ink of the previous vessel remaining on the ink-contacting surface of the piston 19, a discardable protective cover 10 to be readily moved away from its spaced 31 (FIG. 2), for example, a plastic sheet is inserted over the ink-contacting surface of the piston 19 and simply may be replaced for each new vessel of ink.

' The discharge port 11 and the valve means 12 for opening and closing such port are important coacting elements of the apparatus of this invention and serve to cooperate with the vessel 10, particularly when such is pressurized by the piston l9,'so as to readily and effectively deliver ink to the container 16 with negligible spilling or dripping of the viscous and highly messy ink. As best shown in FIG. 2, the discharge port 11, in simple construction, comprises an aperture opening through the wall of the cylindrical vessel 10, suitably circular in cross section, and advantageously located at a lower position of the vessel 10 so as to maximize delivery of substantially all of the ink upon the downward compressive movement of the piston 19. The valve means 12 for opening and closing the discharge port 11 include a slidable gate 32 attached to a rod 32a which is interconnected to and driven by a piston (not shown) internal a cylinder 33. Such cylinder 33 can, for example, be a pneumatic, spring-retuming cylinder of conventional design which upon activation by compressed air via air conduit 34 moves the rod 32a upward to raise the gate 32, thus opening the port 11 and upon release of the air pressure spring returns the gate 32 to a position closing the port 11. The gate 32 is suitably held and guided by guides 35 which are integral with the cylindrical vessel 10 and engage the vertical edges of the gate 32 to secure and direct its movement over the port 11. The opening and closing of the port 1 l is achieved by the sliding action of the gate 32 which, in addition to allowing quick movement, achieves in its closing movement a guillotine-type cutting action which serves to actually sever and cut the highly viscous ink thus preventing any substantial dribbling or trickling of the ink to causemessing and spilling during the automatic cycling of the apparatus.

The compressed air is delivered to cylinder 33 via conduit 34 which communicates with compressed air supply conduit 24 through air valve 36 controlled by solenoid 37, both such valve and solenoid being of conventional design. The solenoid 37 upon being electrically energized, as hereinafter more fully described, operates air valve 36 so as to direct compressed air into cylinder 33 and thus to open the port 11 by an upward movement of gate 32 and upon being deenergized, shuts off such air supply so as to close the discharge port 11 by a springdirected downward movement of gate 32. So that the vessel 10 can be fully moved on transport means 27 as previously described, the conduit 34 delivering air to the cylinder 33 is adapted so that it can be readily disconnected therefrom and simply reconnected to a corresponding cylinder of the second vessel (not shown). Alternatively and preferably, the cylinder 33 is adapted so that it can be removed from the vessel 10 and connected to the second vessel with the air conduit 34 still attached. This results in substantial economies in that only one expensive cylinder 33 need be employed for several vessels l and such procedure is achieved by making the cylinder 33 and its rod 32a readily detachable from the vessel and the gate 32 respectively by employing any conventional fastening means such as nuts and bolts or drop pins (not shown).

As indicated, the vessel 10 is so located on the transport means 27 illustrated in FIG. 1 as a roller conveyor, that the discharge port 11 is positioned directly above the container 16a as located on the weighing means 14. The weighing means 14 suitably include a scale 38 of conventional design having a plate or scalepan 39 which receives a container 16 from the container supply means 13 and which is supported by the interconnected to the scale 38 by a rod 40. As the container 16 is filled with the ink 18a flowing through and down from the port 11, the rod 40 moves downwardly and through conventional mechanisms (not shown) internal the scale 38 mechanically moves a scale pointer 41 in response to the weight of the container 16a and the ink therein. These conventional internal mechanisms are so adjusted that the downward movement of the pan 39 is negligible and in no event does the pan 39 reach in a downward movement an elevation which preclude traveling communication for the containers 16 between the pan 39 and the moving means 15 as more completely explained hereinafter. As the pointer 41 reaches a particular position signifying a certain weight, it actuates the sensing means 17 represented in FIG. 1 in a preferred embodiment as photocell means including photocell 42 and its corresponding light source 43. Both the photocell 42 and its corresponding light source 43 are of conventional design and are both conveniently mounted on movable pivot anns 44 and 45, respectively, which can be universally adjusted so that any particular position of the pointer 41 and, hence, any particularly desired weight for the container can actuate the sensing means 17. In an alternate and preferred embodiment, the photocell 42 and its light source 43 are maintained in a fixed position in reference to the pointer 41 so that only one position of the pointer 41 actuates the sensing means. This is achieved by employing a counterweighted beam balance as the scale 38 where the pan 39 is balanced by a counterweight pan 39a at the opposite end of a beam (not shown) having the pointer 41 associated with the midpoint or fulcrum of such beam. The desired counterweights 39b for the container 16a can then be placed on the counterweight pan 39a and when the desired weight for the container 16 is reached the beam moves the pointer 41 to a fixed or midpoint position as the pan 39 and the counterweight pan 39b balance.

In operation, as the pointer 41 passes through the light beam maintained between the photocell 42 and its light source 45, the light beam is broken thereby actuating the sensing means 17 which signals the control means 18 that the desired quantity of ink has been delivered to the container 16a. In response, the control means 18 actuate the valve means 12 to close the discharge port 11 and stop the flow of ink and thereafter actuate the moving means 15 to deliver an unfilled container 16b to the scalepan 39. In a particularly preferred embodiment of this invention, after the sensing means 17 are actuated by the pointer 41 and after the control means 18 in response to the sensing means operate the valve means 12 to close the port 11 and thus stop the flow of ink, the control means 18 delays for a time period prior to operating the moving means 15 to deliver container 16b to the weighing means 14 and remove the filled container 160. This delay in time is sufficient to allow any of the viscous ink adhering to the discharge port 11 or gate 32 to completely drip or drain down into the waiting container 160.

As a safety feature another photocell means 46 illustrated in FIG. 2 as including photocell 47 and its light source 48 are arranged by means of suitable supports 49 and 50 so that the light beam therebetween is across the scalepan 39 and will be broken only when a container 16a is properly positioned on the scalepan 39. These photoelectric means 46 are so associated with the control means 18 that the control means will not operate the valve means 12 to open the port 11 unless the light beam is broken so signifying that a container 16 is in proper position to receive the ink.

The moving means 15 actuated by the control means 18 in response to the sensing means 17 include a pushing means illustrated in FIG. 1 as cylinder 51 having an internal piston (not shown) connected to rod 52 on which pusher plate 53 is mounted. Also included is roller conveyor 54 (FIG. 2) which is divided by the weighing pan 39 into two sections 54a and 541) (FIG. 2), both of identical construction and comprising basically rollers 55 mounted on frames 56 supported by legs 57. The frames 55 extend upward to form guard edges portion s which serve to hold and guide the containers 16 when traveling on the rollers 55. The pushing means cylinder 51 is of conventional design and is suitably actuated by air pressure to move an internal piston (not illustrated) thus extending rod 52 and hence pusher plate 53 into pushing contact with container 16b so as to push such container over rollers 55 to the scalepan 39.

Thus pushing operation is best considered in reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 where FIG. 3 illustrates the pusher plate 53 in extendedposition. As container 16b is pushed onto scale 39, it

in turn pushes container 16a, now filled with ink, off,the pan onto the rollers 55 of roller conveyor section 54b from which it may be removed for capping and storage. The cylinder 51 may be either a double-acting or a single-acting with spring return and in simple operation, compressed air is supplied via air conduit 58 from compressed air supply conduit 24 through air valve 59 which controlled by solenoid 60. When energized, solenoid 60 opens air valve 59 causing air to flow to the cylinder 51, thus extending pushing plate 53 and upon being deenergized, the solenoid 60 closes the air valve 59 thus permitting the pushing plate 53 to spring return to original position. To repeat the filling cycle, when the pusher plate 53 is in fully extended position, it engages switch means, for example, a roller switch 61 (FIG. 3), which actuates control means 18 to reenergize the solenoid 37 of the valve means 12 and open the gate 32 by action of the cylinder 33 thus allowing ink to once again flow through the port 11 and into the container 16b.

The moving means and specifically the roller conveyor 54 is associated with container supply means 13 which cooperate in delivering the containers 16 automatically to the weighing pan 39. Container supplying means 13 includes an inclined chute 62 which suitably is comprised of rollers 63 supported on a roller frame 64 having raised sides to guide and hold the containers 16 when traveling over the rollers 63. The chute 62 tenninates in open communication with the roller conveyor section 54a at an appropriate angle and in a spaced relationship to the pushing plate 53 in its unextended position. In operation, the containers 16 are placed in stacked arrangement in the chute 62 and gravity feed downward and off the chute onto the rollers 55 of the roller conveyor 54 stopping thereon just in front of the pushing plate 53. The foremost container such as container 16b in FIGS. 1 and 2 is retarded in its forward movement by the edge of the roller frame 56. The elevation angle or slope of the chute 62 and its communication angle with the roller conveyor 54 as well as the width dimension of the roller conveyor are so selected that only one container 16 is positioned before the pusher plate 53 at a time.

Advantageously associated with the container supply means 13 is holder means 65 (FIGS. 2 and 3) including a pneumatic cylinder 66 having movable rod 67 associated with an internal piston (not shown) connecting to a catcher plate 68. The holder means 65 serves to hold those containers, for example, container 160 in proper fixed position on the chute 62 during the extension of the rod 52 of cylinder 51. This precludes and prevents the container 16c, for example, from moving off the chute 62 and onto the roller conveyor 54 behind the extended pusher plate 53 which would prevent a normal return of the plate to its unextended position. The cylinder 66 is operated by compressed air supplied by conduit 69 from air supply conduit 24 through air valve 70. Air valve 70 is operated by a solenoid 71 so that when energized, the valve 70 opens to direct the compressed air to the cylinder 66 thus extending the catcher plate 68 into holding engagement with the container 16c. When deenergized, the air to cylinder 66 is released and the catcher plate 68 spring retracts from its engaging relationship with the container 16c. The solenoid 71 is energized by the control means 18 simultaneously with the energizing of solenoid 51 of the pushing means 15 so that when the pusher plate 53 extends to push container 16b, the container 160 will not fall behind the extended pusher plate 53. After return of the pusher plate 53 to its unextended position, the solenoid 71 deenergizes and the catcher plate 68 retracts so as to permit the container 16c to then slide off the chute 62 onto the roller conveyor section 540 to be appropriately pushed during the 7 next cycle to the scale pan 39.

The control means 18 are preferably electrically operated and the circuit and related equipment are suitably housed in a control box 72. The wiring interconnecting the various components of the control means 18 and the associated equipment of the apparatus of this invention, being well known in the art, are not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 for purposes of convenience. The operation of the control means 18 is best described in primary reference to FIG. 4 where line switch 73 is manually or mechanically moved to a closed position thus connecting the circuit of the control means 18 with any suitable power source, L1, L2, for example, 1 10 volts, 60 cycles. Upon closing switch 73, a circuit is completed via lead 75 from lead 74 through photoelectric means 46 having a return connection via leads 77 and 78 and a similar circuit is also completed via lead 78 from lead 74 through photoelectric means 17 having a return connection via leads 80 and 76 to the source. Both photoelectric means 46 and 17 are of conventional design and include internal electromechanical mechanisms (not shown) well known in the art for operating respectively normally closed switch 81 and normally open switch 82.

At the beginning of the automatic cycle, an unfilled container 16a is placed on the scalepan 39 and a normally open start switch 83 is momentarily closed whereby a circuit is completed from lead 74 via lead 84 to the coil of a relay 85 having a return to source via leads 86 and 78. When energized, relay 85 closes switch 87 to complete a holding circuit via lead 88 from lead 74 and through normally closed stop switch 89. With a container 16a placed on scalepan 39, the light beam of photoelectric means 46 between photocell 47 and its light source 48 is broken and the switching mechanisms (not shown) internal to the photoelectric means 46 maintain switch 81 in a closed position. Accordingly, upon the closing of switch 87 by relay 85 an energizing circuit is completed for the solenoid 36 via lead 88, switches 89, 87, 81 and a normally closed switch 90. When energized, solenoid 36 through operation of air valve 37 and cylinder 33, as previously explained, raises gate 32 allowing ink to flow through port 11 into the container 16a on the scalepan 39.

As a safety feature of control means 81, if no container 16a is positioned on the scalepan 39, then the light beam between photocell 47 and its light source 48 of photoelectric means 46 will not be broken and consequently the normally closed switch 81 will open and either prevent the solenoid 36 from being energized or if energized, to become deenergized thus closing the port 11. This, as previously described, prevents any ink from leaving vessel 10 through port 11 when there is no container 16a on the scalepan 39 to receive such ink.

When the desired weight-amount of ink has been added to container 16a, the pointer 41 of the scale 38 breaks the light beam between photocell 41 and its light source 45 of the photoelectric means 17 and by internal electromechanical mechanisms (not shown), photoelectric means 17 closes normally open switch 82 thus completing a circuit from lead 91 via lead 92 for energizing the coil of a relay 93 having returned to source via leads 94 and 78. When energized, relay 93 opens switch and closes switches 95 and 96, the latter completing a holding circuit via lead 97 from lead 91. With switch 90 open, the energizing circuit to solenoid 36 is interrupted, and the solenoid 36 controlling air valve 36 is deenergized thereby terminating air supply to cylinder 33 which allows the gate 32 to spring return to a closed position over port 1 1 thus stopping the ink flow.

The closing of switch 95 by relay 93 completes an energizing circuit from lead 91 via lead 98 to a time-delay relay 99 having a return to source via leads 100 and 78. Time-delay relay 99 is of conventional design. After a variable time-delay contact switch 101 closes thereby completing a circuit from lead 91 via lead 102 and switch 103 when closed to energize relays 104, time-delay relay 105 and solenoid 60, having a return to source via leads 106 and 78. Upon being energized, relay 104 closes switch 17 thus completing a holding circuit from lead 91 via leads 18 and 109. Upon being energized, the delay relay 105 closes switch 110 thus completing 'a circuit from lead 74 via lead 111 to energize solenoid 71 which thereupon operates air valve 70 as previously described so that catcher plate 68 extends to engage the container upon chute 62 and maintains it thereon in fixed position. Upon being energized by the closing of switch 101, solenoid 60 operates air valve 59 to extend by means of cylinder 51, and pusher plate 53 and thus deliver container 16b to the scalepan 39 and simultaneously push the filled container 16a off the scalepan 39. At the fully extended position of the pusher plate 53, it trips switch 61 thus opening such switch and breaking the circuit to solenoid 60 which causes the pusher plate 53 to retract. After a time-delay, the time-delay relay 105 opens the switch 110 thus interrupting the circuit through the solenoid 71 which upon being deenergized, allows the catcher plate 68 to retract from its engaging relation with the container 16c on chute 62. This time-delay relay 105 is of conventional design and is so adapted that the delay in time in opening switch 110 is sufficient to insure that the pusher plate 53 has fully retracted so as to prevent any container 16 from falling behind the pusher plate 53 when the catcher plate 16 is retracted.

By delaying the closing of switch 101 after energizing the time-delay relay 99 and hence ultimately delaying the closing of switch 101, the solenoid 60 is not immediately energized when the photoelectric means 17 is actuated by the pointer 41 upon the desired weight of ink being added to the container 16a. This allows the container 16a to remain on the scalepan 39 after the closing of the gate 32 to stop the ink flow. Thus, as previously explained, any accumulated ink adhering to the gate 32 or port 11 has an opportunity to drip or drain down into the waiting container 16a thus precluding any spilling or splattering of the viscous ink during exchange of the containers 16a and 16b on the scalepan 39.

So as to repeat the automatic cycle, at the fully extended position of the pusher plate 53, it contacts switch 61 (F108. 2 and 3) which momentarily breaks all circuits through lead 91 thus deenergizing relays 93, 99, 104 and 105. Upon switch 90 again being closed by the deenergized relay 93, the energizing circuit to solenoid 36 is once again completed causing the gate 32 to be raised to open position allowing the ink to flow into the unfilled container 16b. The cycle then automatically repeats until either the container supply or the ink supply is exhausted. For example, in the event that no container 16 is delivered to scalepan 39, then the light beam of photoelectric means 46 will remain unbroken and the switch 81 will remain open thus preventing the energizing of the solenoid 36 to raise the gate 32. When the ink supply is exhausted, no ink will flow into the container 16 in which event the scale pointer 41 will not break the light beam of the photoelectric means 17 thus preventing the energizing of relay 93 by open switch 82 and hence solenoid 60 will not be energized to deliver an unfilled container 16b to the scalepan 39.

If nonautomatic stopping of the cycle is desired, then the stop switch 89 can be manually opened to interrupt the energizing circuit to relay 85 which will maintain the gate 32 in closed position until the start switch 87 is again depressed. As a further embodiment, the automatic operation can be stopped to preclude further operation of the pusher plate 53 after the last container 16 has been filled with ink. This may be achieved by positioning a contact switch 103 (FIGS. 2 and 3) on the frame 56 of roller conveyor 54a so that any container 16 located before the pusher plate 53 will contact and close the switch 103. When no container 16 is in such position, the switch 103 (FIG. 4) opens and thus prevents the relays 104 or 105 from being energized when switch 101 is closed upon the energizing of relay 99. Thus will preclude any operation of the pusher plate 53 by maintaining the solenoid 60 in a deenergized state.

lclaim:

1. An apparatus for automatically filling containers with a viscous material which comprises in combination:

a. A cylindrical vessel containing the viscous material maintained under uniform and constant pressure and having a discharge port comprising an aperture-opening through the wall of the cylindrical vessel, said cylindrical vessel being associated with a piston which maintains the uniform and constant pressure on the viscous material within the vessel by a downward compressive movement;

b. Valve means for opening and closing the discharge port,

said valve means including a gate which opens and closes the discharge port in guillotine fashion by c sliding movement over the aperture-opening;

c. Weighing means for weighing a container located below the discharge port of the vessel;

d. Container supply means for storing open-ended containers;

e. Moving means for delivering a container from the container supply means to the weighing means;

f. Sensing means activated by the weighing means at a desired weight for the container as filled with the viscous material;

g. Control means responsive to the sensing means for controlling the valve means and for operating the moving means to deliver an unfilled container to the weighing means and to remove the container filled with the desired weight of viscous material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the vessel is movable from its spaced position in relationship to the weighing means upon upward retraction and disengagement of the piston whereby the vessel upon depletion of the viscous material may be readily exchanged for another vessel containing a new supply of the viscous material.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensing means include photoelectric means and the weighing means include a scale having pointer which reaches a particular position signifying the obtainment of the desired weight for the container as filled with the viscous material and in such position the pointer breaks a light beam of the photoelectric means which actuates the control means.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the moving means include a pusher means to push an unfilled container from the container supply means to the weighing means and simultaneously remove by such pushing action the filled container from the weighing means.

5. An apparatus for automatically filling containers with a viscous material which comprises in combination:

a. A vessel having a discharge port and containing the viscous material maintained under uniform and constant pressure;

b. Valve means for opening and closing the discharge port;

0. Weighing means for weighing a container located below the discharge port of the vessel;

d. Container supply means for storing open-ended containers;

e. Moving means for delivering a container from the container supply means to the weighing means;

f. Sensing means activated by the weighing means at a desired weight for the container as filled with the viscous material;

g. Control means responsive to the sensing means for controlling the valve means and for operating the moving means to deliver an unfilled container to the weighing means and to remove the container filled with the desired weight of viscous material; said moving means, sensing means and control means being electrically operated and the sensing means include photoelectric means having a nonnally open switch, such switch being in series with a relay of the control means, said relay having a plurality of contact switches, a first contact switch being normally closed and in series with the valve means, a second contact switch normally being open and in series with the moving means, means for applying power to said relay for opening said normally closed contact switch and for closing said normally open contact switch to deenergized said valve means and energizing said moving means, said normally open switch of the photoelectric means being closed upon receipt of the desired weight of ink into the container and thereby completing a circuit to the relay and thus interrupting the circuit through the valve means to close the discharge port and stop the flow of viscous material and to complete the circuit through the moving means to push a filled container to the weighing means and remove the filled container therefrom, said normally time-delay relay closing after a delay upon completing the circuit through the time-delay relay thereby delaying the closing of the circuit through the moving means for a period of time sufficient to allow draining of the viscous material prior to energizing the moving means to deliver an unfilled container to the weighing means.

i t i i UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION P t n 16235360 JouembeL;Q, L91l lnventol-(s) Leslie F. Stone It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

g t 1 line +2, "is" should read in Col. 2 line 2, "18/" should read 18a 921 line 22, after "allowing", insert a Col. 5, line 66, "the" should read and Col. line 75, "Thus" should read This Col. 5 line I, after "which", insert 1s Col. 6 line 55, "81" should read 18 Col. 6 line 66, "1'?" should read 107 Col. 6 line 67, "18" should read 108 Col. 7, line 58, after "delivered to", insert the Col. 7, line 61, "Thus" should read This Col. 8, line 1, before "sliding", delete c Signed and sealed this 6th day of June 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GO'ITSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents IORM PC4050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 80376-P69 U 5. GDVERNNZNT PIENHNG OFFICE \99 0-35633 

1. An apparatus for automatically filling containers with a viscous material which comprises in combination: a. A cylindrical vessel containing the viscous material maintained under uniform and constant pressure and having a discharge port comprising an aperture-opening through the wall of the cylindrical vessel, said cylindrical vessel being associated with a piston which maintains the uniform and constant pressure on the viscous material within the vessel by a downward compressive movement; b. Valve means for opening and closing the discharge port, said valve means including a gate which opens and closes the discharge port in guillotine fashion by sliding movement over the aperture-opening; c. Weighing means for weighing a container located below the discharge port of the vessel; d. Container supply means for storing open-ended containers; e. Moving means for delivering a container from the container supply means to the weighing means; f. Sensing means activated by the weighing means at a desired weight for the container as filled with the viscous material; g. Control means responsive to the sensing means for controlling the valve means and for operating the moving means to deliver an unfilled container to the weighing means and to remove the container filled with the desired weight of viscous material.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the vessel is movable from its spaced position in relationship to the weighing means upon upward retraction and disengagement of the piston whereby the vessel upon depletion of the viscous material may be readily exchanged for another vessel containing a new supply of the viscous material.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensing means include photoelectric means and the weighing means include a scale having a pointer which reaches a particular position signifying the obtainment of the desired weight for the container as filled with the viscous material and in such position the pointer breaks a light beam of the photoelectric means which actuates the control means.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the moving means include a pusher means to push an unfilled container from the container supply means to the weighing means and simultaneously remove by such pushing action the filled container from the weighing means.
 5. An apparatus for automatically filling containers with a viscous material which comprises in combination: a. A vessel having a discharge port and containing the viscous material maintained under uniform and constant pressure; b. Valve means for opening and closing the discharge port; c. Weighing means for weighing a container located below the discharge port of the vessel; d. Container supply means for storing open-ended containers; e. Moving means for delivering a container from the container supply means to the weighing means; f. Sensing means activated by the weighing means at a desired weight for the container as filled with the viscous material; g. Control means responsive to the sensing means for controlling the valve means and for operating the moving means to deliver an unfilled container to the weighing means and to remove the container filled with the desired weight of viscous material; said moving means, sensing means and control means being electrically operated and the sensing means include photoelectric means having a normally open switch, such switch being in series with a relay of the control means, said relay having a plurality of contact switches, a first contact switch being normally closed and in series with the valve means, a second contact switch normally being open and in series with the moving means, means for applying power to said relay for opening said normally closed contact switch and for closing said normally open contact switch to deenergized said valve means and energizing said moving means, said normally open switch of the photoelectric means being closed upon receipt of the desired weight of ink into the container and thereby completing a circuit to the relay and thus interrupting the circuit through the valve means to close the discharge port and stop the flow of viscous material and to complete the circuit through the moving means to push a filled container to the weighing means and remove the filled container therefrom, said normally open second contact switch of the relay in series with the normally open switch of the photoelectric means being in series with a time-delay relay having a normally open contact switch in series with the moving means and there are means for applying power to said time-delay relay for closing the normally open contact switch to energize the moving means, said normally open contact switch of the time-delay relay closing after a delay upon completing the circuit through the time-delay relay thereby delaying the closing of the circuit through the moving means for a period of time sufficient to allow draining of the viscous material prior to energizing the moving means to deliver an unfilled container to the weighing means. 